Delivery of S-400 air defence systems to India won’t be hit by US sanctions, says Russian minister

The US threat of sanctions will not delay Russia’s delivery of S-400 air defence systems to India and the two countries have worked out alternative arrangements for payments, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Wednesday.

Updated on: Jan 11, 2019, 11:22:06 IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Rezaul H Laskar

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The US threat of sanctions will not delay Russia’s delivery of S-400 air defence systems to India and the two countries have worked out alternative arrangements for payments, Russian deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Wednesday.

Russia believes India’s role in the development of Afghanistan is “indispensible”, deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov told journalists, days after US President Donald Trump mocked India’s development aid for the war-torn country. (Reuters/File Photo)

Russia believes India’s role in the development of Afghanistan is “indispensible”, Ryabkov told a small group of Indian journalists, days after US President Donald Trump mocked India’s development aid for the war-torn country.

Moscow has said it won’t be pressured by US sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) while finalising defence deals with New Delhi. Russian officials have said the first delivery under the $5.4-billion deal for the S-400 systems will be made in 2020.

“You may rest assured our commitments and obligations under the contract will be fully honoured and India will receive this system as agreed upon in due time and without any delay,” Ryabkov said, without setting a timeframe for deliveries.

Indian and Russian experts dealing with military deals have “almost all necessary tools”, including alternative ways of payments, he said, adding it will be counter-productive to publicly discuss schedules for payments.

“The political message is important though – we want to be immune to the arbitrary and unilateral measures that are taken by some countries against very legitimate forms of international cooperation,” said Ryabkov.

Russia, he said, understands India’s “essential role in Afghanistan” and welcomes the country’s participation in all efforts aimed at reconciliation and peaceful resolution of the situation. “We are very much in sync with India on this very important issue.”

Development and sustainability of institutions is key in countries affected by war and the “Indian effort in material support to Afghanistan is an indispensible one and of utmost importance”, he added.

Ryabkov said it is necessary to have a dialogue with the Taliban.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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